Disrupted White Matter Microstructure in Patients With FM Owing Predominantly to Psychological Factors: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study 2022 Tu et al

Abstract
Background: Neuroimaging investigations have already uncovered alterations to cerebral microstructural integrity in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). In the meantime, these patients commonly suffer from depression and anxiety.

Objective: In this study, microstructure changes within white matter were examined in patients with FM with consideration of concurrent physiological factors.

Study design: A cross-sectional case-control study.

Setting: A university hospital.

Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging was performed on 20 patients with FM and 20 healthy controls. The 4 diffusional indices, namely, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean, radial, and axial diffusivity (MD, RD, AD) were calculated using tract-based spatial statistics. The relationships between the diffusional parameters and pain scales were also examined.

Results: The patients with FM exhibited enhanced FA, reduced MD, RD, and AD in numerous white matter tracts, including the corpus callosum, corona radiata, internal capsule, corticospinal tract, posterior thalamic radiation, cerebellar peduncle, sagittal stratum, and superior fronto-occipital fasciculus. When depression and anxiety were added as covariates, most between-group diffusional difference disappeared except for AD reduction in the corona radiate, internal capsule, and cerebellar peduncle (P < 0.05, threshold-free cluster enhancement corrected). The diffusion tensor imaging measures were not correlated with clinical variables.

Limitation: A relatively small sample size.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that disrupted white matter microstructure in patients with FM is mainly restricted to tracts associated with pain sensory processing and motor control, adjusting for psychosocial factors. A considerable degree of difference in white matter characteristics may be explained by the patients with FM group's greater level of psychological distress.

Only abstract on PubMed available at time of posting, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36375204/

 

1) There are no anomalies therefore it's psychological
2) Those anomalies in areas relevant to those symptoms are obviously caused by psychological processes, or at least we think so because after decades of obsessing over 1) it's too embarrassing to admit we were wrong and caused massive permanent harm to millions

The thing about cognitive dissonance is that it's experiencing conflict between mutually exclusive positions.

There is clearly no cognitive dissonance here, zero problem with mutually exclusive positions. In 4 dimensions, circular thinking works, because whether you go up or down, you still end up in the same place eventually. So it doesn't even matter which way is which, it's all about feels, once they reach their destination, it's just a matter of pretending they got there legitimately.

Edit: anomalies is more accurate than structural differences

 

It appears one could come to the conclusion noted in this article, for anyone with an abnormal brain imaging result.

 

After they said the pain from an open fracture surgery could be cured with Psychology I think they genuinely believe that Psychology can cure absolutely everything. We used to laugh at the Mitchell and Webb video about Homeopathic A&E.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0

)

Yet here we are using something just as nonsense on very serious brain illnesses the only evidence for which is extremely intentionally biased "studies".